Just how dry is it?

[cowman]

In my area we recieved more snow than usual. Probably the most snow in about 6 years. On top of this we never got a February thaw. Now when this snow melted there was virtually no run off! It just went straight into the ground. Even the roads never got muddy. I have never seen this happen before.
So how dry is it? I believe in my area we have enough moisture to get the grass going but I think we will need timely rains. I think a lot of people are racking their brains on what to grow. I have a slough that usually has some water in it for at least part of the year. It is bone dry this year. How difficult is it going to be to find adequate water this year? Is this going to be a factor in raising cattle? I hauled water for a month last fall on some rented pasture and this is a real pain!

[pandiana]

With the extra snowfall in the mountains and in our area I think we should have replentished some of our aquafers and rivers which I think will bode well for watering stock in most areas.

Crops and pasture is another matter. One report I read said they expect a rather unusual El Nino with wetter and colder spring in the north and dryer in the south. I am not sure where this boundary is. Judging by the weather this past week and forecast for the next week, this would certainly seem to be 'wetter and colder'. The problem is, nothing grows well in cold wet weather either.

[surespendalot]

Here I think that it is dryer than last year. Both years had very little snow during the winter. Last year on April 4 we had three feet of heavy wet snow. There was no runoff whatsoever. We grew a good hay crop and a great sileage crop on 5 1/2 inches of timely rains. This year we have had an accumulation of about two feet of snow during Feb.& March. We had a bit of runoff one afternoon. (enough to almost fill the small dugouts, but only about 20 to 40% on the larger ones. The rest all soaked in. This morning the dust was blowing something awful and as I write this there is two inches of wet snow on the ground and it is coming down so fast that we can't even see the barn. So is it dryer than last year... Well probably. Tmperature is normal for spring time in Alberta tho. COLD!!

[cowman]

Nothing worse than a cold dry spring. Nothing grows. The bugs don't come out and my blue birds and tree swallows don't have anything to eat!
When it is cold like this the grass is slow to come and I think a lot of people are really scraping the bottom of the feed pile. Starting to see a lot of cow/calf pairs showing up at the mart...no feed. Prices are holding up fairly well, so far. There is also a fairly heavy run of feeders even though the price is dismal. Fire sales like these must be very stressful. How much stress has this last year of dry weather put on farmers? Does anyone really need this?

[pandiana]

This morning we still have about 15-20% snow cover. Yesterday was the first time I heard the water running in the stream just below our house. Any runoff prior to this seems to be very moderate and slow. With the amount of snow we had, I would think that this would be a good thing, wouldn't it? Wouldn't this indicate that we have good absorption. The frost is already out of the topsoil in many areas judging how deep we sink in the mud.

[cowman]

Well this morning we're getting blessed with a little more snow! Not that I'm ungrateful mind you...but rain would be nice.
It has been cold. We need some warm weather. Usually by now there is some field work going on but not this year. My cousin put the fertilzer on last fall so he can just go right in and plant if it ever warms up. CPS wheat(Crystal).
I'm still up checking cows at night. Have two heifers and about 10 cows to go. It seems like everytime I let them out onto a pasture it snows or the wind starts blowing 100 miles an hour. No scours this year and only pulled three so far. Strong healthy calves. More bulls than heifers. Am feeding about 22 lb. of grass hay and 10 lb. of CPS greenfeed. No supplements other than mineral and salt. Cows are a little thinner than I would like, but not bad.

[pandiana]

We also have a little snow this AM and the cold. Still mud and snow in shady areas. I was thinking of you yesterday when I was driving through Red Deer, Innisfail and Didsbury. I was shocked at how dry it was already. Like you, cowman, they commented on how there had been little runoff. From what I saw, that is an understatement.

[pandiana]

Picked up off the internet:
SPRINGTIME IN ALBERTA
> >
> > When it's springtime in Alberta
> > And the gentle breezes blow,
> >
> > About seventy miles an hour
> > And it's fifty-two below.
> >
> > You can tell you're in Alberta
> > 'cause the snow's up to your butt,
> >
> > And you take a breath of springtime air
> > And your noseholes both freeze shut.
> >
> > The weather here is wonderful,
> > So I guess I'll hang around,
> >
> > I could never leave Alberta
> > My feet are frozen to the ground.

[cowman]

Not only is it dry but it is cold. Sure has been rough on the old mosquito population! Now I'm not a great fan of mosquitoes but the last few years it has been hard on my tree and barn swallows(who I take great delight in!).
I saw something pretty funny the other day. This robin was down at my springs trying to catch fairy shrimp. He waded out right into the spring and was bobbing away! I guess he thought he was a heron or pelican or something! I've never seen a robin do this... I guess when it's dry and cold you have to get out and hustle if you want to eat. It was pretty comical.